(the guy in the middle might’ve been spared a part time gig as a casino greeter)
“It’s hard to think of anything more corrupt than putting a casino in the middle of low-income communities,” said NYC Park Advocates’ Gregory Croft of a since discarded scheme to build a casino with an adjoining 500 room hotel adjacent to the Mets’ Citi Field. If Art Schlichter’s reading this and planning on applying for the job of bench coach, the New York Post’s Rich Calder explains why that’s no longer necessary.
The Southampton-based Shinnecock Indian Nation signed on to operate the casino, and the Wilpons and partners even offered the city $100 million for the 62-acre site, according to the development team’s proposal, which was first obtained by project opponents Willets Point United and NYC Park Advocates.
“This will be a place about fun — for families, sports fans and thrill seekers alike,” the proposal says.
“[It] will attract millions of visitors from the New York area and around the world and will serve as New York’s newest and most unique entertainment destination.”
With live-dealer casino gambling currently illegal in New York, except on tribal lands, the Wilpons and partner Related Companies were awarded a consolation prize.
In June, the Bloomberg administration handed them 23 of the 62 acres of city-owned land they sought in the September 2011 casino proposal — most of which is now used for parking — to build a $3 billion retail and entertainment complex without a casino.